Sunday, 30 December 2012

Rethinking The Nigeria Prize for Literature

* New N1 million Critical
Essay Prize announced

By Anote Ajeluorou

In the last few years,
Africa’s biggest literary prize, The Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by
Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas company, has consistently reinvented itself to
meet the yearnings of writers and critics alike. From opening up the prize to
Nigerians in the Diaspora and making the judges known to the public, the prize
organisers have shown they are open to ideas and criticisms aimed at improving
the prize.

Last week in Lagos at Southern Sun Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos, the
governing board and company officials met with a section of the literary
community and art writers with the aim of injecting new ideas into the prize.

It was a robust session that touched on a wide range of
ideas and issues around the prestigious prize and how to make it better so that
writers can maximally benefit from it. While some wanted the $100,000 (one
hundred thousand dollars) prize money to be split amongst the four genres of
literature – prose fiction, poetry, drama and children literature so that each
genre receives $25,000, others want the present status retained and would not
entertain the idea of having the $100,000 shared amongst four writers. The
latter group argued that the current size of the prize money ensured
credibility and prestige, which splitting it would erode.

Perhaps, those who argued for the prize money split feared
that Diaspora writers might consistently win the prize (the last two editions
since opening up the prize to Nigerians outside the country have been won by
them – Esiaba Irobi won two years ago (Cemetery Road) and this year, Chika Unigwe won with On Black
Sisters’ Street). This was so, it was
argued, because the quality of books Diaspora writers submit, which are better
edited, with quality printing and packaging. But those on the other side of the
divide charged local writers to up their game in these critical areas where
there are noticeable deficiencies so they could compete with their colleagues
residing abroad.

Also, LNG was charged to help expand the country’s literary
landscape by investing in schemes that enhance quality writing. With an
educational system that has remained poor, the quality of writing has since dropped
to the extent that most of the entries submitted for the prize are not worth
considering. Such schemes like workshop and training for book editors and even
creative writing for writers, it was argued, should be undertaken by the gas
company to improve quality.

Bakare, whose Farafina imprint created a revolution in
fiction publishing in the country in the last 20 years, amplified the fears of
those who routed for a prize split, saying, “As it is, the prize will always be
won by outsiders (Nigerians residing and writing abroad). There is no industry
in the book sector at the moment; it’s just the passion for book people have
that is driving the book business”.

Besides, Kan also argued that Nigerians abroad winning the
prize would only serve to enhance the profile of the prize and make it truly
global in character. He urged local publishers to step up their act and meet
the prize standards, which are known to be very high.

Proponents of this scheme argued that there should be
developmental aspect to the prize, in which Nigeria Academy of Letters (NAL)
could collaborate with the sponsor to train writers, editors and other allied
skills and talents to sustain the vision of the prize. They noted that while it
was good to give the lump prize to one individual, the prize would also be
better served if the winner didn’t just vanish into thin air soon after.

They stated that part of the post-winning should be for
developmental purposes, as a device, scheme to always keep the prize on the
consciousness of the public. But those opposed said one-off prize-winners were
not unusual the world over and indicated many such writers that went into
oblivion shortly after winning various prizes.

But consultant Obe stated that it was not the business of
the sponsor, a gas company, to get involved in the training of talents in
writing or editing. He urged NAL to either approach LNG for such sponsorship or
other organisations to source funds for such trainings. Although he
acknowledged the necessity for such training to take place, he couldn’t be sure
if such burden should be passed onto LNG, which he said was concerned with
giving the prize to the best writer to emerge from the scene.

But Omatseye lamented the near absence of companies
interested in promoting literature through sponsorship and called on corporate
organisations to look the way of literature with adequate sponsorship.

Ezeigbo opined that too much burden should not be put on LNG
alone to solve all the problems of Nigerian literature and tasked literary
promoters to seek other avenues of sponsorship for the training of writers and
editors. She then commended two state governors, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State
and Muazu Babangida Aliu of Niger State for supporting literature through their
annual Garden City Literary Festival and Muazu Babangida Aliu Literary
Colloquium respectively. She tasked other state governors to emulate them so as
to broaden the literary space to accommodate more talents.

Obe also canvassed for more crusades amongst literary
promoters across the country to get more people with resources involved in
promoting literature. He charged art writers, newspapers and magazines to open
up more literary spaces in the media so as to engage the consciousness of
Nigerians to the good literature could do to liberate and elevate their minds.
However, his plea also met with the constraints arts pages currently face, as
they become the first casualties of advert placements that keep constricting
them daily.

For Mbanefo, the rot in the writing input seen in the poor
entries submitted for the prize was a reflection of the rot in the educational
system. He stated that there was not much LNG could do to redress such anomaly
unless there was a holistic approach to salvage Nigeria’s educational system.
He restated the company’s faith in the prize board for upholding excellence
since its inception, saying the company would do all it could to sustain the
prize and make it a showpiece for Nigerian writers.

Banjo expressed happiness at the meeting and the robustness
and objectivity in the ideas and criticisms expressed from those in attendance.
He said the concern of his board was for the prize to command the respect it
truly deserves, noting that opening up the prize for Nigerians abroad was meant
to spur local writers to do more to win it

He revealed that from henceforth, a consultant from outside
the country would be brought in to complement judges’ efforts, when the final
three writers would have been announced and shortlisted. He said this would
give the prize both international status and enhanced credibility, so as to
obviate the notion of ‘ghetto’ judges (made up mostly university professors)
from some quarters. Integrating non-university professors among the judges is
about the only idea yet to be assimilated into the prize regime.

Banjo also announced the Critical Essay Prize worth N1
million for a critical essay or review of a Nigerian literary work, but which
must be published in a known international journal, as further boost for Nigerian
literature.